Financial Comparison of Disease Management Methods of Rice Blast Disease in Langerood County, Iran

The objective of the present study was to financially compare chemical and agricultural management methods of rice blast disease, as a prevalent disease in paddy fields of Langerood in Guilan Province, Iran. Thirty-three rice experts and 373 paddy farmers were selected by random sampling procedures. Data were collected by a research made questionnaire and were analyzed by SPSS. Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) was utilized for analysis to recognize the most efficient disease management method. Given the costs in 2012 and the evaluation of economic variables of chemical disease management procedures in paddy fields per acre, it became evident that agricultural disease management methods can replace the chemical ones financially. Furthermore, the comparison of farmers’ demographic, economic and agricultural characteristics by Chi-squared test among agronomic method and chemical method users showed no significant relationship between paddy farmers’ gender, age and farming experience, but there was a significant relationship between cultivation area and management method at the 0.05 significant level. However, there was a significant correlation between disease management methods and the size of the area under cultivation. Furthermore, there were significant differences between experts and farmers’ professional viewpoints in their preferences of disease management methods. While experts insist on an integrated application of chemical and agricultural procedures, most farmers apply chemical disease management methods.